Scream queen

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A scream queen is an actress who has become associated with horror films, either through an appearance in a notable entry in the genre, as a frequent victim, or through constant appearances as the female protagonist. Fay Wray is known as the first scream queen ^[1] while Jamie Lee Curtis is known as a person who helped revive the scream queen title with her performance in the popular slasher film Halloween.^[2] Mary Elizabeth Winstead,^[3][4] Scout Taylor-Compton,^[4][5][6][7] Shawnee Smith^[4] and Sarah Michelle Gellar ^[4][8] are considered prominent mid-2000s scream queens.

Contents 1 Definition of "scream queen" 2 History 3 Notable American scream queens 4 Prominent Scream Queens 5 Other Scream Queens 6 See also 7 References

[edit] Definition of "scream queen"

The term "scream queen" is more specifically used to refer to the "attractive young damsels-in-distress"^[8] characters that have appeared in a number of films in the horror genre. Lloyd Kaufman, co-founder of Troma Entertainment, noted that being a scream queen is "more than just crying and having ketchup thrown on you. You not only have to be attractive, but you also have to have a big brain. You have to be frightened, you have to be sad, you have to be romantic."^[8] Ryan Stewart, of cinematical.com, has described a scream queen as someone who has "given an impactful, memorable performance in a horror film".^[9] Debbie Rochon, often described as a scream queen herself, wrote in an article originally published in GC Magazine that "a true Scream Queen isn't The Perfect Woman. She's sexy, seductive, but most importantly 'attainable' to the average guy. Or so it would seem."^[10]

[edit] History

The use of women in horror films dates back to the silent film era, with films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and Nosferatu (1922). George Feltenstein, film historian and senior vice president of theatrical catalog marketing at Warner Home Video, states, "Women screaming in terror has been a Hollywood mainstay — even when films were silent".^[8] However, Fay Wray of King Kong (1933) is arguably the first notable scream queen. Wray had also appeared in a number of other horror films previous to King Kong, and eventually took her career to England to escape the title, stating "I don't like it at all...being called Scream Queen."^[11] Following Wray, in the 1930s, Elsa Lanchester in Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Gloria Stuart in The Invisible Man (1933) were also considered scream queens.

In the 1940s, filmmakers "wanted stories to take them out of reality and reveal an image far more in control"^[10], creating noir films and featuring such actresses as Hillary Brooke, who appeared in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) and Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942). Simone Simon and Joan Crawford were also notable actresses of the decade.

The 1960 film Psycho placed Janet Leigh as a prominent scream queen who had begun the change into the modern horror protagonist. In this film era, B movies remained popular at drive-in theaters, and Psycho had been a part of the larger exploitation boom in the genre.

In 1978, Jamie Lee Curtis, daughter of Janet Leigh, had her first film role in Halloween. Portraying Laurie Strode, Curtis established herself as the "ultimate 'scream queen'"^[12] and was even referenced as such in the horror film Scream (1996). Curtis went on to star in several other horror films and Halloween sequels, and continues to act, broadening her range outside the specific genre.

The success of Halloween, as well as what could be considered the first slasher film, Black Christmas (1974), helped popularize the slasher film genre. Many of the scream queen actresses of these films were required to perform nude scenes. Monique Gabrielle in Chained Heat (1983), Michelle Bauer in Demonwarp (1987), and Brinke Stevens in Bad Girls from Mars (1989) are examples.

During the 1990s, Debbie Rochon starred in dozens of Troma Production horror films and was voted by Draculina magazine as its "Scream Queen of the Decade".^[13] Neve Campbell also began her career in horror with The Craft (1996), and later went on to star as Sidney Prescott in the Scream series of horror films. Sarah Michelle Gellar, despite her start in television as the title character in the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, went on to appear in other horror films during the decade, including I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and Scream 2 (1997). Both actresses are considered scream queens, and Gellar continues to star in horror films.

Ryan Stewart cited Cassandra Magrath and Kestie Morassi as prime examples of modern scream queens for their roles in Wolf Creek (2005).^[9] 2006 saw Kate Beckinsale earn the award for "Best Scream Queen" at the Scream Awards for her role in Underworld: Evolution (2006).^[14] In 2007, USA Today published an article listing its opinion of who qualified as a modern scream queens; the list included Sheri Moon Zombie, Jaimie Alexander, Andrea Bogart, Mercedes McNab, Tiffany Shepis, and Cerina Vincent. ^[8]

Other examples of scream queens include Linnea Quigley in Return of the Living Dead^[15], Alexandra Delli Colli in Zombie Holocaust^{[citation needed]}, Sandra Knight in Blood Bath^{[citation needed]}, Beverly Garland in The Alligator People^[16], Camille Keaton in I Spit On Your Grave^[17], and Marilyn Burns in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.^[18]

[edit] Notable American scream queens

[edit] Prominent Scream Queens

Actress	Films
Jamie Lee Curtis[12]	Halloween (1978), The Fog (1980), Prom Night (1980), Terror Train (1980), Roadgames (1981), Halloween II (1981), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), Virus (1999), Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
Sarah Michelle Gellar[4][8]	I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), Scream 2 (1997), The Grudge (2004), The Grudge 2 (2006), The Return (2006), Possession (2009)
Shannon Elizabeth	Jack Frost (1997), Thir13en Ghosts (2001), Cursed (2005), Night of the Demons (2009)
Scout Taylor-Compton[4][5][6][7]	Wicked Little Things (2007), Halloween (2007), April Fool's Day (2008), Obsessed (2009), H2[19] (2009), Murder World (2010)
Mary Elizabeth Winstead[4]	Monster Island (2004), The Ring Two (2005), Final Destination 3 (2006), Black Christmas (2006), Grindhouse: Death Proof (2007)
Katharine Isabelle	Ginger Snaps (1999), Carrie (2002), Freddy vs Jason (2002), Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2003), Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (2003)
Shawnee Smith[20][21]	The Blob (1988), Saw (2004), Saw II (2005), Saw III (2006), Saw IV (2007), Slaughter (2008), Saw V (2008)[22], The Grudge 3 (2009)[23], Saw VI (2009)
Neve Campbell [24]	The Dark (1994), The Craft (1996), Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Wild Things (1998), Scream 3 (2001)
Erica Leerhsen[21]	Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007), Living Hell (2008), Lonely Joe (2009), Slaughter (2009), The Message (2009), Shiver (2009), The Fury (2009)
Chelan Simmons	It (1990), Carrie (2002), Monster Island (2004), Snakehead Terror (2004), Chupacabra Terror (2005), Final Destination 3 (2006), Wind Chill (2007)
Asia Argento	Demoni 2 (1986), The Church (1989), Trauma (1993) (1993), The Stendhal Syndrome (1996),The Phantom of The Opera (1998), The Keeper (2004), Land of the Dead (2005), Mother of Tears (2007)
Fay Wray[11]	Doctor X (1932), The Vampire Bat (1933), Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), King Kong (1933)

[edit] Other Scream Queens

Actress	Films
Marilyn Burns[18]	The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Helter Skelter (1976), Eaten Alive (1977), Kiss Daddy Goodbye (1981), Future-Kill (1985), Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994)
Emilie De Ravin	Carrie (2002), Santa's Slay (2005), The Hills Have Eyes (2006),
Arielle Kebbel	Reeker (2005), The Grudge 2 (2006), The Uninvited (2009), Red Mist (2009),
Amber Tamblyn	The Ring (2002), The Grudge 2 (2006), Blackout (2007),
Mischa Barton	The Sixth Sense (1999), Paranoid (2000), Walled In (2009), Homecoming (2009),
Megan Good[25]	Venom (2005), One Missed Call (2008), Saw V (2008), The Unborn (2009), Drag Me To Hell (2009)
Eliza Dushku[26]	Soul Survivors (2001), Wrong Turn (2003), The Thacker Case (2008), The Alphabet Killer (2008), Open Graves (2009)
Jaimie Alexander[8]	The Other Side (2006), Rest Stop (2006), Hallowed Ground (2007)
Daniella Alonso[4]	Hood of Horror (2006), The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007), Wrong Turn 2 (2007), The Midnight Man (2008)
Rose McGowan[27]	Scream (1996), Phantoms (1998), Grindhouse (2007), Machete (2009)
Amber Heard[citation needed]	Side FX (2005), All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2008), The Stepfather (2009), Zombieland (2009), The Ward (2010), And Soon the Darkness (2010)
Ali Larter[28]	House on Haunted Hill (1999), Final Destination (2000), Final Destination 2 (2003), Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), Obsessed (2009)
Jessica Stroup[29]	Vampire Bats (2005), Pray for Morning (2006), Left in Darkness (2006), The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007), Prom Night (2008), Homecoming (2009)
Mercedes McNab[8]	Hatchet, Dark Reel (2007), XII (2007), Medium Raw (2008)
Leighton Meester[citation needed]	Hangman's Curse (2003), Inside (2006), Drive-Thru (film) (2007), The Haunting of Sorority Row (2007), Killer Movie (2008), The Roommate (2009)
Lindy Booth[30]	American Psycho II: All American Girl (2002), The Skulls 2 (2002), Wrong Turn (2003), Dawn of the Dead (2004), Cry Wolf (2005), Dark Honeymoon (2008), Behind The Wall (2009),
Tiffany Shepis[4][8]	Tromeo and Juliet (1996), Scarecrow (2002), Ted Bundy (2002), Bloody Murder 2: Closing Camp (2003), Abominable (2006), Nightmare Man (2006), Dark Reel (2007)
Naomi Watts	Children Of The Corn IV: The Gathering (1996), Muholland Drive (2001), The Shaft (2001), The Ring (2002), King Kong (2005), The Ring Two (2005)
Jennifer Tisdale	Ted Bundy (2002), The Hillside Strangler (2004), Dark Ride (2006), Nictophobia (2009), The Brazen Bull (2009)
Paris Hilton[31]	Nine Lives (2002), House of Wax (2005), Repo! the Genetic Opera (2008)
Barbara Steele[32]	La Maschera del Demonio (1960), The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), L'Orribile Segreto del Dr. Hichcock (1962), Lo Spettro (1963), Castle of Blood (1964), Gli Amanti d'Oltretomba (1965), Shivers (1975)
Cerina Vincent[4][8]	Cabin Fever (2002), Murder-Set-Pieces (2004), Intermedio (2005), It Waits (2005), Seven Mummies (2006), Toxic (2007), Return to House on Haunted Hill (2007)
Crystal Lowe[4]	Children of the Corn: Revelation (2001), Final Destination 3 (2006), Black Christmas (2006), Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007), Yeti: Curse of the Snow Demon (2008), Case 39 (2009)
Jennifer Love Hewitt[33]	I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
Fergie	Monster In The Closet (1986), Planet Terror (2007)
Margo Harshman[citation needed]	Simon Says (2006), Rise: Blood Hunter (2007), From Within (2008), Sorority Row (2009)
Danielle Harris[34]	Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989), Urban Legend (1998), Halloween (2007), Left for Dead (2007), The Black Waters of Echo's Pond (2009), Halloween II (2009), Blood Night (2009), Prank (2009), Horror 88 (2009), Godkiller (2009)
Adrienne Barbeau[4]	The Darker Side of Terror (1979), The Fog (1980), Swamp Thing (1982), Creepshow (1982), Open House (1987), Two Evil Eyes (1991), Burial of the Rats (1995), The Covent (2000), Ring of Darkness (2004), Unholy (2007)
Barbara Crampton[35][36]	Re-Animator (1985), Chopping Mall (1986), From Beyond (1986), Puppet Master (1989), Castle Freak (1995)

[edit] See also

• Final Girl
• Feminist film theory
• Invasion of the Scream Queens 1992 documentary

[edit] References

v • d • e Scream Queens Classic Scream Queens Fay Wray • Janet Leigh • Jamie Lee Curtis • Shelley Duvall • Adrienne Barbeau • Marilyn Burns • Barbara Crampton • Linnea Quigley • Debbie Rochon • Barbara Steele Prominent Scream Queens Sarah Michelle Gellar • Neve Campbell • Jennifer Love Hewitt • Naomi Watts • Mary Elizabeth Winstead • Shawnee Smith • Danielle Harris • Scout Taylor-Compton • Erica Leerhsen • Asia Argento Other Scream Queens Eliza Dushku • Crystal Lowe • Margo Harshman • Tiffany Shepis • Lindy Booth • Kate Beckinsale • Jessica Stroup • Sheri Moon Zombie • Ali Larter • Jamie Alexander• Rose McGowan • Tara Reid Related topics Final Girl • Feminist film theory • Invasion of the Scream Queens 1992 documentary